Nightmare on Earth
by Blacktide13
Summary: The Seireitei - 20 years after Aizen's defeat.  Many of the old Captains are dead or have resigned.  Ichigo and Orihime have married and become souls living in the Seireitei; Ichigo is a Captain.  Just as it seems peace will start, an intruder comes...
1. The Orders

**Soul Society – Twenty Years After Aizen's Defeat**

_BANG!_

_BANG!_

_BANG!_

Ichigo Kurosaki opened his eyes, his orange hair now long enough to nearly completely cover his eyes. Orihime rustled in the bed next to him. They had been married nearly ten years now. Both of them had given up their lives as normal humans to become Shinigami in order to live eternally together. While Ichigo, the newly promoted 5th Division Captain, had no time for children of his own, he and Orihime still loved eachother with all of their hearts, and even though Ichigo had much work to do, they were still thinking about making a family. But now was not the time. This ominous banging outside was the signal of an intruder. The Captain-Commander would no doubt call a Captain's Meeting soon to discuss the nature of this so-called interloper.

"Is something wrong, Ichigo?" Orihime muttered over to Ichigo, her eyes still closed.

"I wish I knew. Even so, this is the intruder alarm. I must get to the Captain-Commander at once," he replied as he got out of bed. "Don't worry about it – it's probably nothing." he continued as he saw Orihime opened her eyes, a look of concern covering her expression. He kissed her on the forehead to reassure her, picked up Zangetsu from his bedside, and was off.

The morning sunlight blinded him for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the change in lighting as Ichigo stepped outside, but even while he couldn't see, he could definitely sense something was amiss. He didn't know quite what, but something in his gut told him this wasn't any normal intrusion. Throwing aside the disconcerting thought so as to keep his concentration, he made his way to the center tower for the inevitable Captain's Meeting.

It seems that the other Captains were thinking the same thing as he. Most of them were already lined up formally, while a select few others were chatting among themselves. He greeted them as he walked by.

"Morning, Urahara-san," he said as he nodded in his direction. Urahara was the Captain of the 12th Division again – his exile forgiven for his help during the war against Aizen.

"Ah, Kurosaki-san. Good to see you could get on your feet this early. If I might have a word with you?"

"Of course. Actually, I was about to ask the same thing to you. Morning, Hisagi-san, Ikkaku, Renji," he replied to Urahara as he named the Captains he walked by on his way to Urahara. Approaching the former exile, he whispered "Do you know what this is all about?"

Urahara frowned. "Actually, no. And that's what disturbs me the most. As the head of the Technological Institute, I'd know better than anyone that it would take someone of Captain-level or higher to walk undetected through the reiatsu sensors I've set up throughout the city. It is most... interesting."

Ichigo opened his mouth to ask another question, but was interrupted by a cheerful shout that echoed throughout the room.

"Good morning, everybody!" Captain-Commander Shunsui yelled, making his presence noticeable. All heads turned in his direction as the Captains hustled to get into their formal lines. Shunsui merely shook his head. "Now, now, people, there's no reason to be so formal. I'm not THAT strict." The Captains all seemed to relax a small bit, but out of habit, they remained in their lines. The Captain-Commander sighed. "Alright. Have it your way." he said as he walked to the head of the room. Once there, he turned around. "Now then. Does anyone have any idea what might be going on here?"

Urahara spoke out. "Yes, Captain-Commander. Though I don't know the exact nature of who this intruder is, my reiatsu detectors seem to not to detect him. To be able to bypass the sensors, you'd need a captain-class level reiatsu or higher.

"Hmm...," Shunsui said, stroking his beard. "Anything else, Urahara? Witnesses?"

"No, Captain-Commander. From what I've been told, a patrol came across a number of dead Shinigami in a secluded corridor, and then gave the word to sound the alarm. I was given the bodies to determine the nature of their death. It looked like their skulls were completely shattered from an outside force. This could just be brute force or whatever weapon he's carrying, but it may be an invaluable detail in determining the way this intruder fights."

"Very interesting." Shunsui turned to Yoruichi Shihouin, appointed Captain of the 2nd Squad. "Yoruichi, I want you to scout out Seireitei for any clues as to the intruder's whereabouts. Report back to me if you find anything."

"Yes, Captain-Commander." Yoruichi replied, and with that, she Shunpoed away to carry out her orders.

'The rest of you are to keep your eyes open. If you see anything suspicious, you have my express permission to investigate."

"**Yes, Captain-Commander!" **the Captains said in unison, and they all disappeared from the room in a blink of an eye.

Shunsui let out a long sigh and sat down in his chair. "Sheesh, I'm not cut out for this."


	2. So It Begins

For how early in the morning it was, Ichigo was surprised at himself for being able to keep his head straight without falling asleep. Maybe it was something to do with how he felt something wasn't quite right, and he needed to find out why. Walking through the streets, he investigated every place he could find to search for any clues. As if fate would have it, he heard a Shunpo behind himself and turned to face the new arrival.

"Captain Kurosaki!" (Ichigo hated being referred to as Captain Ichigo, it didn't seem right)

"Ah, a member of the Stealth Force. I assume you come with word from Yoruichi?"

"Yes, sir. Our patrols have spotted a suspicious figure roaming through the West Seireitei. Lady Yoruichi immediately ordered us to send word to all of the Captains."

"I see. I will investigate this at once."

And with that, the Stealth Force member was off, no doubt informing the other Captains. Ichigo disappeared only a second later – he was off to West Seireitei.

Once Ichigo arrived, he immediately set out a search pattern. His Shunpo skills had gotten much better and he was able to cover very long distances with it without expending his energy too fast. His eyes caught nothing initially, but when he took to the high ground to get a panoramic view of the area, he saw what could be the "suspicious figure." He had the usual black Shinigami kimono on, but the red clock draped over his back stood out like a sore thumb. Ichigo wasn't even sure how he managed to go undetected this long when he stood out among everyone else. Then, he realized what had been feeling wrong this entire time. It seemed that this man didn't even have a reiatsu to identify him by – Ichigo sensed nothing. If this had been his old, Substitute Shinigami self, this wouldn't have come as a surprise given his inability to control reiatsu – but his training for Captain rank required that he be able to manipulate and sense reiatsu. The fact that he couldn't sense this one's only furthered his notion that this man was the one he was looking for.

Unfortunately, subtlety was not Ichigo's strength. He immediately Shunpoed in front of the stranger in order to interrogate him or at least get an idea on who he was.

"Ah, Captain Kurosaki. Fancy meeting you here." the stranger said to him.

"How do you know my name? Who are you? What are you doing here?" Ichigo replied.

"I didn't come here to be interrogated, to say the least," the stranger said, and then let out a long sigh. "But I suppose it would be courteous to answer your questions. My name is Hikaru, and I am merely roaming the city. As to how I know you, I can't imagine why I wouldn't, given how famous you are."

Ichigo ignored the flattery. "I see. Well, we are searching for an intruder in Seireitei, so I advise you go back to your home and stay there until this is over."

"Oh, but what fun is that? Like I said, I came here to roam and explore, not sit in my house and wait for this storm to blow over."

"And what if the intruder were you?"

The stranger looked appalled. "How could you say such a thing! I am merely a wanderer! What could give you such an idea?"

Ichigo gestured to his red cloak. "What sort of normal Shinigami wears _that?_ And, more importantly, I can't sense your reiatsu. You would need to be hiding it somehow, and to hide it from a Captain is no small feat."

The stranger frowned. "This cloak is merely an antique! It's been passed down in my family for generations!"

Ichigo pushed his question. "And why can't I sense your reiatsu?"

"I'm no powerful Shinigami, to say the least. I probably don't even have any."

"Every Shinigami, from weakest to most powerful, has a reiatsu. Even if you were weak, I would still be able to sense it."

Hikaru raised both hands and sighed. "Alright, alright, you caught me. I'm the intruder. What are you going to do with me?"

"Take you into custody for questioning. If the reports are correct, you killed an entire patrol of Shinigami. We can't let that go unpunished." Ichigo replied. He couldn't help but think why the intruder had given up so easily...

Ichigo watched Hikaru reach for his red cloak. "And here I was hoping you'd let me go free. I suppose I should've hidden those bodies a bit better. Even so, I can't let you take me into custody. So terribly sorry."

The stranger ripped off his red cloak and suddenly Ichigo was bombarded with incredibly heavy and dense reiatsu. As a Captain, it didn't affect his stance or concentration, but he certainly was surprised by this sudden revelation. And Hikaru took advantage of that. His lack of a cloak revealed a previously hidden Zanpakuto, which he drew and charged at Ichigo with. Ichigo frantically reached for Zangetsu and just barely managed to block the blow in time, being pushed back by the force of it.

"Damnit! Who are you! This is Captain-class reiatsu!"

"All in good time, _Captain Kurosaki._" Hikaru spoke Ichigo's name as if he would spit on it given the chance.

Ichigo finally managed to break off from the powerful blow and swiped his sword across the stranger's chest. Hikaru ducked and let out a quick jab, aiming for Ichigo's heart. Ichigo sidestepped and the blade hit his arm, leaving a deep, bleeding gash. He grunted in pain and then saw Hikaru's sword coming toward him. He picked up Zangetsu with unharmed arm and locked blades with Hikaru. Just as Hikaru's blow was seeming to conquer Zangetsu, Ichigo shouted "GETSUGA TENSHOU!" Hikaru's eyes widened as the area in front of him was illuminated with the power of a second Sun.

The dust cleared and revealed the opponents on either side of the battlefield. Ichigo was panting slowly, and Hikaru was looking at the bleeding gap in his shoulder.

"Impressive, Captain. You are more powerful than I anticipated." the stranger called over to Ichigo.

"You haven't see anything yet."

"I suppose you are referring to your Bankai? Hm. Even without my Shikai, I have injured you. I know all about your precious Zangetsu's powers. Yet you know nothing about mine."

"If you know so much about me, then you should definitely know how fast I learn."

"Indeed. But let's see if that still applies in the face of my power."

Ichigo watched as Hikaru straightened his blade horizontally, then let go. But the blade didn't fall. It merely levitated in place. A dark aura seeped out from it, surrounding both the sword and the stranger. Hikaru opened his mouth and and spoke:

"Haunt-"


	3. True Power

-Akumu." (Nightmare)

A shroud of darkness enveloped the blade, eventually covering the area around it completely. When it finally cleared, Ichigo saw what looked like a crude morning star with razor-sharp spikes dotting its surface. The fact that the Shinigami that were found dead looked like their skulls had been crushed made sense to him now; it was by this Zanpakuto's hand. This truly was the intruder... and he was no push-over.

"That's quite an impressive show, Hikaru," Ichigo called to his opponent. "But can you back it up?"

"Wait and see, _Captain._" Again, it sounded as if Hikaru was disgusted just by saying the word.

Ichigo Shunpoed in front of Hikaru and hacked across his chest. But when his blade finally met his target, what happened was something he didn't expect. Hikaru disappeared before his very eyes, and in his place, Orihime stood.

"Wha-" Ichigo studdered as he managed to pull back his blade just before he cut his love in half.

It was then, in this moment of disorientation, that Hikaru struck.

To Ichigo, it looked as if Orihime was charging him. Not able to bring up the will to block against such a relentless onslaught, the morning star that was supposedly named Akumu appeared in Orihime's hand and connected with Ichigo's chest. Ichigo had the wind knocked out of him and started to cough up blood. The spikes had also pierced his chest in several places, luckily none deep enough to hit any vital organs. From the pain, however, he guessed that the blow had broken a few ribs. When Ichigo looked up, Hikaru materialized again where Orihime was.

"What... is this?" Ichigo gasped.

"Ah, apparently it is too much for your feeble mind to comprehend. Is it too hard to understand that you merely almost cut the love of your life in half?"

"But... if that was truly Orihime, then why did she seek to kill me? And more importantly, she had your Zanpakuto in your hands."

"Quite the observant one, I see. Now, rather than me tell you what that means, why don't you try to figure out what my power is?"

"Nightmare, eh? Judging from the combination of its name and what I've just seen, I would have to guess if I did _this-"_

By this, Ichigo meant the expertly executed move that came next. He brought up Zangetsu and slashed it upwards, which Hikaru dodged. But to dodge an upward slash, Hikaru needed to step backwards, losing his footing for a precious moment – enough for Ichigo to strike. Ichigo quickly adjusted the blade in his hands and let out a quick jab with Zangetsu. Where Hikaru was Orihime suddenly materialized, just as expected. Ichigo continued with his forward stab, and though it nearly broke his heart to do so, he stabbed Orihime in the leg. She screamed in agony and fell to the floor, but then disappeared and left Hikaru the slumped heap.

"-then it would just be like stabbing you. Your power is a child's game, really. Pose a person close to your opponent as the one he's attacking and then attack in their moment of hesitation. I can't say it was easy to stab my own wife no matter how much I reassured myself that it wasn't real, but once you figure out the trick it's no challenge at all."

Hikaru slowly got up, a cold smile on his face.

"Bravo! You a truly worthy of the Captain position. To think you could've caught on to the nature of my power so quickly is quite impressive, but there is one part you are missing..."

"And what would that be?"

Hikaru stepped aside and revealed the unconscious heap of Orihime behind him.

"What-!"

"When you guessed the nature of my power, you were correct in every way, but you left out something. In order for my Akumu to replicate the one close to my opponent, I need to have the person it's replicating in my general vicinity. It's really Akumu's one true weakness. And, to get your beloved in my general vicinity, well..."

"_You bastard!"_

"You're just like the others, Ichigo. Seeing the one close to them like this is always the coup de grace."

Even with his confidence in his own power, Hikaru's eyes widened as Ichigo's next move. Ichigo moved his sword in front of him as if trying to stab him and the cloth wrapped around the hilt started to wrap itself around Ichigo's upper arm and shoulder. He had never seen or heard something like this in his experience with his master... and then it happened. The very muttering of the phrase sent shivers down Hikaru's spine. He readied himself as Ichigo shouted the imminent release phrase:

"BAN-

KAI!"


	4. A Death

**NOTE: The mention of the swastika in this chapter is not supposed to suggest any offense or any belief or support of the Nazi Party.**

Dust filled the battlefield. A blue glow emanated from within, no doubt Ichigo's immense spiritual pressure channeling itself into his Zanpakuto in order to complete the Bankai release. Hikaru covered his eyes to avoid having them scratched. He needed to see if he was going to win.

And then the dust was gone, dispersed merely from the release of Ichigo's sword. A newfound determination glinted in his brown eyes, just barely visible beyond his bright orange hair. If you looked closely enough, his eyes showed the murderous instinct he had developed over the years; he was one that did not hesitate in order to bring a threat down. And now it wasn't just for the defense of Soul Society. This was just made personal.

Just from looking at his Ichigo's Bankai, Hikaru couldn't help admiring its majesty. Ichigo's black kimono had transformed into a black and white cloak with a matching kimono underneath. A glove covered Ichigo's sword hand, a chain extending from it, wrapping around his arm several times and ultimately hanging idly from his upper shoulder. The sword's hilt was that of a backwards swastika, a symbol of luck. The sword itself looked merely like a regular Zanpakuto, but its color was pitch black. Compared to other Bankais, this one's size was deceptive. To think such a Bankai – merely the size of a sword – could hold some tremendous power. It was almost unthinkable. But here it was in front of him.

"_Tensa Zangetsu._" Even though Ichigo barely spoke in a whisper, Hikaru could hear him clearly from the other side of the battlefield.

Hikaru tried to keep himself from showing his slight uneasiness at gazing upon such power. He swallowed and spoke only one word: "Impressive."

* * *

Shunsui sighed. "Jeez. Kurosaki's going all-out already? Now that just won't do."

Nanao immediately sensed what Shunsui was about to do. "Sir, are you sure you should do this? Should the Captain-Commander really be on the front lines? What if it's a trap?"

"Ah, Nanao, always so caring. Glad to see you love me."

Nanao blushed and stomped her foot, turning her head away. "I'm serious! Besides, Captain Kurosaki can handle it on his own."

Shunsui placed his hand on Nanao's head. "I know he can. But that certainly won't stop me from protecting the place I was assigned to protect. I'll be fine. I didn't earn Captain-Commander because I'm incapable, now did I?"

Nanao had no response. He was right, as always.

With that, Shunsui was off, his straw hat casting a shadow on his entire face, but Nanao swore she caught a tiny bit of a smile on his face.

* * *

Ichigo didn't speak. He didn't need to. He looked over towards the crumpled heap behind Hikaru.

"_Orihime... why were you dragged into this...?"_

His thoughts were broken by Hikaru speaking to him. "So what now, Captain? Going to kill me?"

Ichigo's facial expression answered that question immediately. And so did his next move. Hikaru watched as Ichigo raised his sword to its full height. Before he could bring it down, Hikaru charged over to Orihime and picked her up by the hair.

"Don't you dare! I'll kill her!"

Ichigo didn't so much as flinch. He stood as still as a statue.

And then he was in front of Hikaru. Had Ichigo's speed really improved so much that Hikaru couldn't track his Shunpos?

"No. You won't."

Ichigo hacked downwards to cut Hikaru in half. While Ichigo moved downward to deal the final blow, the wind lifted his bangs ever so slightly. Hikaru could see something about his eyes. It was as if they glinted with the determination of a killer.


	5. The Truth

Hikaru saw the blade coming down upon him. He embraced his impending doom. He closed his eyes and allowed it to take him away.

But it didn't. After a moment, he opened his eyes to see a white Captain's cloak billowing in the wind in front of him. As he examined the scene that stood before him, he saw a pitch black sword connecting with a regular, unreleased Zanpakuto. There seemed to be an awkward silence, which was broken by the new arrival.

"Please restrain yourself, Captain Kurosaki. You should know better," Captain-Commander Shunsui stated.

Ichigo didn't even flinch in the face of his commander. "This man must die for what he's done."

"And what would that be?" Shunsui inquired as he looked around the battlefield. He immediately regretted asking the question. Not far away was Orihime, a helpless, unconscious heap on the ground. He felt sorry for Ichigo and for a moment actually thought about letting him kill the intruder, but he decided against it.

Ichigo saw that Shunsui had answered his own question. "That's what."

"I'm terribly sorry, Ichigo. But you know that this man must be questioned. We must know his reason for being here – and more importantly, who he answers to, if anyone."

After staring into Shunsui's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, Ichigo relented.

"Fine. But if there is to be an execution..."

"I know. You'll get your chance."

Ichigo seemed to calm himself from Shunsui's reassurance and reverted back to his Shikai form. The pitch black sword slowly transformed back into the normal, oversized Zangetsu, and the chain around Ichigo's arm transformed into a cloth, which wrapped itself around Zangetsu's hilt. Ichigo clothes also changed; reverting back to the Shinigami kimono. After the transformation had been completed, Ichigo ran over to Orihime, picked her up, and then Shunpoed away.

Shunsui looked at Hikaru, who made an attempt to run away from the Captain-Commander, knowing that if Ichigo had beaten him so easily, that he didn't stand the smallest chance against this man. Shunsui merely shook his head and Shunpoed past Hikaru, knocking him out while going by.

"You're not going anywhere," Shunsui muttered to the unconscious intruder as a number of Stealth Force members appeared, picked up the body, and left without a word. Shunsui followed suit.

* * *

"I'll ask you again: why are you here?"

"I told you! Master's orders!"

"And who is your master?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that."

Yoruichi slapped Hikaru, the force of it nearly sending the man rocketing off the chair he was chained to.

"Answer the question and the Captain-Commander may find mercy in his heart!"

"Sorry. What you're doing right now pales in comparison to what my master will do to me if he finds out I told you."

Yoruichi frowned and slapped him again. And then she stepped away from using brute force and pain to get her answer. She actually tried to scare him into it. "Think about what you're doing. Do you think if we let you go back to your master, he would treat you any better than we have?"

"Oh, please. Don't play that game with me. We both know how this is going to end: an execution. Letting me go would just be stupid, and I think even you can realize that."

Yoruichi sighed. Not only was this a fruitless effort; he was right. There was no way he was going free.

"Have it your way. Think about what you're doing here for awhile. I have other things to attend to. Oh, and don't try to escape; I'll know where you are."

"How?"

"I have my ways."

And with that, Yoruichi was gone. Hikaru sat and thought quietly. He figured it would be within his best interest to not try to escape, since there was no way he would get away with getting captured alive again. As he pondered his situation, a voice interrupted his thoughts; a familiar one."

"_It is ready, Hikaru._"

Hikaru looked around, searching for the voice's source. But then he figured it out. It was his master telepathically contacting him.

"_This is good to hear. However, I am currently a captive of the Gotei 13, with an execution no doubt lying in wait._" he thought back to his master, hoping that this telepathic link didn't just go one way.

There was a momentary silence, and then a reply. _"Then you are no longer of any use to me. Even if you do escape, do not bother to return to me. I don't want to see your face again."_

And with that, the voice in Hikaru's head left him. He had half a mind to respond, but he knew it was too late. With nothing else to do but save his own life, Hikaru decided to think of an escape plan, no matter how hopeless his chances were.

And then, fate itself intervened. With an ear-shattering _CRASH!_, the wall next to Hikaru crumbled to pieces. He thought it was just the result of a trainee gone wrong from the nearby training field, but then he saw the destruction's culprit. And even worse: he recognized the figure as it walked in to end him. The master's lieutenant. Without even a word, he lifted his sword and sliced diagonally, leaving a massive open gash in Hikaru's chest. And then he was gone. No doubt sent on a quick Hit and Run to eliminate Hikaru before he could reveal the master's identity.

Before Gotei 13 forces could come and investigate the mysterious destruction, Hikaru stood up. It took every ounce of his remaining strength to walk forward, but this was the chance he needed. An escape. But it wasn't an escape; he wouldn't live through it. He needed to tell someone about this betrayal; someone he knew.

* * *

Ichigo was still tending to an unconscious Orihime when he heard someone walking in. He thought it was just someone coming to visit and check on Orihime's condition, but when he looked at the entrance, Hikaru standing there.

"How did you escape?" Ichigo shouted as he rushed towards Zangetsu, ready to fight. But before he picked his sword up, Hikaru collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily.

Through closer examination, Ichigo saw the massive wound in the middle of Hikaru's chest. Fatal, no doubt. And even though every ounce of him wanted to finish the job right now, he couldn't help not asking. "What happened?"

All Ichigo understood were three key words in the senseless jargon that Hikaru said next.

"Aizen has returned."


End file.
